Mixed Emotions
by Kali1
Summary: How does one deal with having a family, while being a crimefighter?
1. Rabbit Died

**Mixed Emotions**

_part 1_

_By Kali_

**Author's Forward:** _I'm baaaaaaacccccck! And still as Bat/Cat obsessed as ever. Some things never change. Oh, well. :-) This is a sequel to "Innamorata."_

"You're back early. Why? The nutcases decided to give you a holiday?" 

"I was concerned about how you were feeling. Did you see Leslie?" 

"Yep. She gave me a clean bill of health." 

"Then, your nausea?" 

Selina winced. He suspected the truth. But when you're living with one of the world's greatest detectives, it's hard to keep anything a secret. 

"Well, as the old saying goes, the rabbit died. Of course, I've always thought that was a strange saying. I mean, really! Where did it come from? What does it have to do with a pregnancy test?" Selina stopped, she was rambling and she knew it. She had been very nervous about this, about telling Bruce that she was carrying their baby. And, not knowing why that was, either. Why she felt so uneasy about the whole thing. "Are you,....... are you happy about that?" 

"Very," Bruce commented as he swept her into his arms, and kissed her. 

"Hmmmm...... How very?" 

"Let me show you." 

"Intriguing," Selina teased, as she backed away from him. 

"But first, Selina, I've been meaning to talk to you about something, but, I've never been able to get the words out...... We've been living together for months, and now........." 

Here it came, the inevitable question Selina knew Bruce would ask. The one she wasn't ready to commit to. 

"Will you," Bruce started. But then gently pushed her down onto the nearest chair, and knelt before her. Still dressed in his Batman get up, he looked every bit, the dark knight. 

"Bruce......... before you say another word, please listen to me. I can't, not right now." 

"You love me, but you won't marry me? Why? What's wrong? What is it, that you want, Selina?" 

"What do I want? That's a good question. One, to be frank, I don't know the answer to, right now. I used to dream about having a happy little family, when I was little. The hubby, the house, the 2.5 kids, and a house full of four-legged fur balls weaving their way under all of our feet. But now?" 

"What's so different now?" 

"My career. My career as Catwoman. I have wanted us to work together from the very get go. But something always came between us." 

"Yes, the law." 

"Touché. I dreamed of how it would be like. Fighting the bad guys during the evening, and being a perfectly normal family during the daytime. But the reality wouldn't be anything like that, would it?" 

"No." 

"Thought so. We'd be risking death nightly. Not something that would be fair to our babies." 

"'Babies?' Did the tests indicate twins?" 

"No. I meant the little one in here, and any future tykes we might create later on. Although,..... the thought of twins wouldn't be too bad, would it?" 

"No," Bruce answered, pulling her closer to him. 

"I'm just confused, Bruce. I spent so much time wanting kids, that now that I'm having one, I'm not sure just why I'm so conflicted about it. Does that make any sense? Or am I just rambling on like a mad woman?" 

"Selina, you are many things. But mad? Never." 

"You......," Selina murmured softly. "I just feel like this is all happening so fast. I need it to slow down, so I can think for awhile. Do you understand?" 

"Yes, I just......." 

"Don't worry, leaving you, isn't in the equation." 

"And the baby? You don't regret......?" 

"No, she is very precious to me, as are you." 

"'She?'" 

"Yeah, mother's prerogative. Might be wrong, but hey, that's life. The worse that will happen is that we have to repaint the nursery blue, instead of pink." 

"True. Although, that wouldn't be necessary if we checked the ultrasound before hand." 

"Hmmmm...... I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. A little suspense is good for the soul. What I do know, is that I want this to be a natural birth. You know what that will mean, don't you?" 

"I believe so." 

"And if you dare to miss even one Lamaze class, so help me buster, I'll ........ But that's just it, isn't it? We need to make decisions about our nightly activities, and how it affects our future as a family." 

"So your answer is maybe?" 

"Yes, 'maybe' in regards to the marriage aspect. But as a family, the answer is very much, yes, my darling." 

"Selina, if you have no doubts about us as a family, then why......." 

"With my history as Catwoman being public knowledge, the amount of bad publicity would be astronomical. We'd have paparazzi camping out on our driveway for months. Years even. They'd never let us hear the end of it." 

"An annoyance, which can be tolerated. No reason for us, not to marry." 

"But your secret identity is. People know about our feelings for each other. As Batman, and Catwoman. My God, even Joker somehow latched onto it in a brief moment of lucidity. If we've been that obvious, how long will it be before everybody puts two and two together, and realize that Bruce Wayne is Batman?" 

"It doesn't matter. I can deal with that, if need be, when the time comes." 

"But it does matter, and I don't believe we'll be able to sweep it under the rug that easily. Even if you had Dick masquerade as Batman for months, there would still be doubters. They'd see a difference between you and him." 

"They haven't in the past. There is no reason to believe that it won't work again. The best way to throw off the scent, is to show them proof that contradicts their beliefs." 

"Did all your acting, and all your fill-ins, manage to fool Gordon? You don't honestly know for sure that he doesn't already know exactly who you are. And the truth is, he probably has known from the very beginning of your alliance. Is it to much to believe that others might as well?" 

"................." 

"Ask Gordon, please?" 

"Selina, I......" 

They were interrupted by the sight of the reflection of the bat-signal, shimmering in the moonlit sky. 

"Speak of the devil." 

"It can wait." 

"But it could be important, and you need to talk to Gordon." 

"I'll be back soon." 

"Be careful." 

"I will," Bruce promised, giving her another quick kiss, before heading off towards the bat cave entrance. 

**************************************************************************** 

Selina sat, reclined on their bed, contemplating everything from baby names to potential colleges. Trying as best she could, not to think of the danger the child's father was in. It was a losing battle. "I want your Daddy to be here, night in, and night out. Safe in bed, with me. Am I selfish for wanting that?" She questioned, as she rubbed her belly. "Hmmmmmm......... Is it too early for cravings? Guess not. Hope there's some mint chocolate fudge around here somewhere. Poor grandpa Alfred's probably just going to despise me, for keeping him slaving over a hot stove all the time. Maybe I should? Yeah, Alfred deserves a break." 

Selina spent the good part of a half-an-hour rifling through the massive pantry annexed next to the kitchen. Finding nothing she particularly had a craving for, she next targeted the refrigerator. Locating a half gallon container of Blue Bunny butter pecan ice cream, she happily grabbed herself a spoon, and dug in. 

"Miss Selina?" 

"Um, oh, hi, Alfred. Just had a craving for ice cream, and ....... other things........ You know, midnight cravings, and all that....... Hope I didn't make too much noise?" Selina asked, the spoon in her mouth slightly muffling her voice. 

"No, not at all. Would you like me to cook something for you, madam?" 

'Madam' Selina winced for the second time that night. She felt a bit ill at ease, at the thought of being anybody's 'madam'. "I was looking for some mint chocolate fudge, earlier. Do you have any left on hand?" 

"No, but I can bake some for you, if you would like?" 

"You really don't need to go to any trouble, on my account." 

"It is no trouble, Miss Selina. I would rather be held prisoner by one of the master's infamous Rogue's gallery, than be neglectful in my duty to you and Master Bruce." 

"But......" 

"Miss Selina......" 

"I really don't want to be a burden." 

"The mistress of the manor a burden? Never." 

"I'm hardly to the manor born. We're equals, I'd like us to be on equal footing. None of this 'mistress' stuff." 

Alfred gave her a stern look, and chastised, "Miss Selina, it would not look proper to outsiders, if I started to act too familial with you. It might make several members of Gotham's social elite suspicious." 

"True, we don't want that. Okay, you win. For now." Selina could tell by the reserved expression of relief, just how much proper etiquette mattered to the valet. She decided to let him have his way for now. But she'd be damned, if she let him get away with calling his grandchild 'miss' or 'master'. 

***************************************************************************** 

"Jim, I have to ask you something." 

"Yes?" 

"I know you didn't want me to reveal myself to you. But circumstances have changed. I need to know what you know about me, in order to protect the people I care about." 

"Why? Don't you trust me? I thought we resolved this?" 

"Yes, we did, and I do trust you.. With my life. But my concern is with my enemies. I .... we, fear that if you were able to figure it out......" 

"That other's may as well?" 

"A few already have, in a few special cases. But, she's concerned that we've been to obvious." 

**************************************************************************** 

Having acquired her caffeine fix, Barbara returned to her computer terminal for her nightly monitoring duties. The faint sound of voices, caught her attention. 

*************************************************************************** 

"Catwoman, I assume?" 

"She's pregnant." 

*************************************************************************** 

Barbara Gordon nearly choked on her sip of coffee at that remark. As it was, her computer screen ended up soaked with the brown muck. Bruce had apparently forgotten all about her active communication link to him. Frazzled, she cut the link before she could overhear any more of their private conversation. 

*************************************************************************** 

"Oh? Guess it was only a matter of time. My congratulations!" 

"I know how you feel about her." 

"That doesn't matter. You know her better than most everyone, so I trust your judgment. Just cherish what you have with her. Don't let time slip away from you. Don't regret any missed opportunities, like I did with Sarah." 

"Jim..........." 

"I do know, but that was only due to extensive background checking, after meeting you in your civilian identity. Can't imagine too many who would go to that much trouble to investigate you, in that identity, without any proof of a connection between 'you' and 'Batman'. You've covered your tracks very well, keeping most everybody at arms length." 

"You never doubted your research was wrong?" 

"Occasionally. But after the incident with Bane, I knew there was no doubt." 

"Thanks, you have given me something to consider." 

"We can handle it from here, for tonight." 

"You're sure?" 

"Quite." 

"Good night, Jim." 

"Good night." 

**************************************************************************** 

"Pizza delivery! We got your pepperoni, your black olives, your......" Dick announced, waving a slice of pizza below Barbara's nose. 

"Oh, hi, Dick. Didn't see you come in." 

"Babs?" Dick questioned. She seemed very distracted to him, very distant. 

"You need to talk to Bruce. Trust me, you need to talk to him." 

"All right, if you say so," Dick said, placing the pizza box down on the end table, and headed towards the door. 

"Where are you going?" 

"To talk to Bruce." 

"Um, not tonight. Tonight, would be bad. Really, really bad. Tomorrow would be better." 

"Oookkkaaaayyy." 

"Trust me on this," Barbara commented. She assumed Bruce and Selina would want to be alone tonight, and tell everyone together, tomorrow. But just in case, it wouldn't hurt to encourage a conversation between Bruce and Dick. Then they could get on with the festivities, as it were. She even had ideas for a locale, for the baby shower. _Oh my God, I'm planning a baby shower for Catwoman! I don't believe this! Okay, she's seemed to have reformed. And that *is* what is most important. But ........... Well, one things for sure, 'family' get togethers from now on, definitively won't be boring._

**Disclaimer: **_All Batman characters are the property of DC Comics. This little fan fiction is meant as pure, harmless fun, and as such, no profit is being made from it. _


	2. What's in a name?

**Mixed Emotions **

_Part 2_

_By Kali_

"So, what do you think?" Selina asked. As she held up a tot sized outfit with a picture of an animated critter on it. "It'll be awhile before she can wear it, but......" 

"Aw, it's cute, what is it?" Barbara asked. Feeling the fabric between her thumb and forefinger. 

"It's a cabbit. Supposedly, a famous cartoon character in Japan. Lucius was traveling in Okinawa last week, and saw it at a store." 

"Hmmmm..... a cross between a feline and a rodent. Interesting." 

"You don't think he knows, do you?" 

"Lucius? Naw," Barbara responded. 

"I hope you're right," Selina murmured in a slightly worried tone. 

"So, have you two decided on a name yet?" Barbara asked.. 

"Hmmmm..... Bruce of course wants to name her partly after his mother. So we decided that her middle name will be Martha, but her first..... well, we've batted around a few ideas. No pun intended." 

"Oooh, a baby name book, can I see?" Barbara asked grabbing it before Selina could say anything. "Oh, my. You two really are undecided, aren't you?" 

"Well, I was partial to Helena for her first name. But for some reason Bruce was adamantly against that." 

"Gee, I wonder why." Barbara snickered. 

"Uh, do you know something, I don't?" 

"Top secret. My lips are sealed." Barbara commented slyly. "Well, ok, maybe not sealed. A certain someone's first name is Helena. But don't tell anyone I told you." 

"Huntress?" 

"Give the lady a kewpie doll!" 

"Damn! And I so liked the sound of that name, too!" 

************************************************************************************** 

"Selina, I've been thinking about what you said. About your fears that if our relationship were to become public, that my dual identity might be deduced. And I think I may have come up with a solution." 

"Oh?" Selina responded, eyeing Bruce with curiosity. 

"Yes." 

"It's me," answered a deep voice from the hallway just outside the study. 

Selina recognized the voice. She had heard it so often in the past. So, she knew what to expect when she turned to look at the source of the voice. "Okay, Dick, nice imitation, but itll never..." Selina started but stopped stunned when she saw Dick Grayson standing just behind Batman'. "If you're...? Then who?" 

"Do you want to tell her, Bruce, or should I?" Dick said with a grin. 

Selina gave Bruce a sideways glance, and then looked again at Batman, in stunned disbelief. Batman' then morphed into a green man, or, more accurately, into a green Martian. "It's Gumby!" 

"Selina, don't be rude!" Bruce chided. 

"**This,** coming from you?" Selina countered. "Regardless, he does bear more than a passing resemblance to Gumby. But, if Ive offended you, Jonn, I apologize." 

"It's all right, Selina. I get that quite a bit, actually," J'onn responded with a sigh. 

"J'onn can pass himself off as either of my identities, if need be. All we would need to do, would be to have Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Batman all be spotted in the same vicinity at the same time by journalists. Perhaps, on more than one occasion." 

"What about that whole Urban Legend' shtick?" 

"I've been thinking that it is time to amend that a bit. Especially, if it can be used to ensure the likelihood that my dual identity is kept a secret from my enemies who don't already know." 

"So, you'd be willing to have the three of you be photographed together and then have those photos be put smack dab on the front page of the _Gotham Gazette_? It doesnt sound to me like you're amending your Urban Legend credo. It sounds more like youre shucking it to the wayside." 

"A necessary evil." 

"That's debatable," Dick murmured. 

"What did you say, Dick?" Bruce asked, turning to look at his son. 

"Oh, nothing," Dick covered, wondering if Bruce had heard him. 

"Anyhow, with J'onn's telepathy, we should be able to handle any problematic questions that might arise." 

"Yes. Indeed, it might even be best if I, as Batman, did have to answer case specific questions," J'onn commented. 

"Well, you really have put a lot of thought into it, Bruce. It may just work," Selina said softly. 

"Does that mean?" Bruce started hopefully. 

"Well discuss that later," Selina interrupted with a grin. "Now, if you all will excuse me, I have a doctor's appointment in an hour. Bruce, would you like to come with me?" 

"Yes. Just give me a couple minutes. I have a little unfinished business here." 

"Okay. I'll be waiting in the car." 

*********************************************************** 

"And our deal?" J'onn asked. 

"A one month supply of Oreos has been delivered to your home. As per your request." 

"Good," The Martian smiled broadly. 

"J'onn, I really can't thank you enough for volunteering to do this." 

"It was nothing, Bruce, really. I'm glad to help." 

After Bruce had left, Dick mentioned, "Y'know, J'onn, you probably could've gotten 6 months worth from him." 

"You think?" 

"Yeah." 

******************************************************************* 

A man sat in an off-white Mazda pickup, parked just opposite of the clinic. Glaring as Bruce Wayne helped a very pregnant Selina Kyle get out of his jet black Porsche. 

"Damn! That gold digger's got her claws in deep, deeper than I thought. Gotta speed up the plan, before that whore gives birth. Wayne may be a deezee but, even he deserves better than trash like her," the man whispered to himself with a growl. "Miserable gold digging wench!" 

**Disclaimer:** _All Batman characters are the property of DC Comics. This little fan fiction is meant as pure, harmless fun, and as such, no profit is being made from it. _


	3. Chance encounters

_**Mixed Emotions**_

_Part 3_

_By Kali_

Dear... Diary? Journal? Whatever. Urm. I don't know why I'm writing in this thing. Leslie thought it might help me deal with what happened yesterday. But, I'm fine. I told her that over and over. Still, she smiled at me, in her wise, kindly way, and I melted. So, I agreed to comply. To write it all down and get it over with. 

Note to self; don't write anything in here that can't be read by the "family." Just in case. 

Okay, what to say? 

Have you ever had one of those days? You know, a day where things go to hell in a hand basket? Well, I have. More times than I can count, to be honest. 

Maybe it's just my lot in life? Some sort of karmic retribution for stealing all those items over the years? Who knows. All I do know is that the timing couldn't have been worse. 

I was wandering around downtown Gotham, window-shopping, when some jerk steals my purse! Normally, I would've gone chasing after him. But, being seven months pregnant, well, that tends to slow a girl down a bit. So I stayed put, stewed, and gave him my best kitty cat glare of doom as he ran down the street. Oh, I did yell, "Stop thief!" But that was about as effective as yelling "taxi" during rush hour. 

Then I got to go on a "fun" trip to the Gotham City Police Department, where I reported the theft to an officer who barely stifled her giggling at the irony of Catwoman being robbed by a petty thief. Oh, God, I'll never live that down. 

Dejected and a tad humiliated, I returned to my window-shopping for my little bambino. That's when the real "fun" began. 

I first realized that I was being followed when I was standing in front of Bernstein's Toys, looking at a wide array of fuzzy teddy bears lined up in their window's display. I noticed him out of the corner of my eye. He was standing, somewhat nervously, by a nearby fire hydrant reading a copy of the Gotham Gazette. The only problem was, it was upside down. 

I decided to test my theory by weaving my way into the mid-afternoon crowd, and then heading for the front window of a lingerie store. Sure enough, when I looked again, there he was. With that infernal newspaper still upside down. 

Many thoughts entered my mind at that point. That maybe he was a reporter hungry for a story. That maybe he was a secret admirer of mine. I did have some of those over the years. Wearing a skintight costume will tend to do that. Draw them in like moths to a flame. Which is partly why I dress the way I do as Catwoman. It distracts some of my adversaries. Causing them to make mistakes. But, I digress. Anyhow, as I've said, many thoughts entered my head in regard to the mystery man. What I really didn't consider was that he might be dangerous. Well, that's not exactly true. When you've lived in a town like Gotham, as long as I have, one tends to expect a murderous lunatic coming out of the woodwork every now and then. I just didn't expect some sicko, an unknown sicko, at that, to be bold enough to attack me, the infamous Catwoman, in broad daylight. With numerous potential witnesses milling about. But, attack he did. 

I was heading for a phone booth, to call for Alfred to pick me up, when he came up to me, and put one knife to my throat and another to my belly. Normally, no big deal. Under regular circumstances I would've been able to disarm him in a heartbeat. But, as I've mentioned before, being rather pregnant made the situation a might more complicated to deal with. 

Anyhow, he forced me into a nearby apartment complex. I didn't find out until a few minutes later, that it was the apartment complex that he lived in. Of course, I was mulling over various ideas of how to get out of the mess, safe and sound, the entire time he was forcing me, at knifepoint, to go with him. 

When we reached his apartment I found out how truly disturbed he was. He had headlines about me, and pictures of me, plastered all over one of his walls. With words like "whore," "gold digger," "bimbo", and other "fun" terms smeared in large, red letters over my pictures. Then he started ranting and raving, and thoughts of the Manson murders came unbidden to my mind. 

********************************************************** 

"You're all the same. Every one of you! All out for our money. No good bitch! Well, I'll teach you! I'll make an example of you! Yes, I will. You'll pay, the way she never did!" the man hissed, waving the knife in my face. 

*********************************************************** 

His ramblings, I can only assume, had something to do with either his mother or an ex-wife. He really didn't explain, and I wasn't exactly in the mood to hang around to find out. He was so caught up in his diatribe that he didn't even notice me inching towards the sink in his kitchen and pulling out a dirty pan. In fact, he didn't seem to become aware of me again until just before the frying pan connected to his face. I had hoped that it would knock him unconscious but, as it was, he had partially turned at the time, and I ended up hitting him in the nose. Still, it worked as a distraction as he screamed and coddled his broken nose. I grabbed the cordless on the wall and made a beeline for the front door. 

Trouble was, the phone was dead. And not just that one. After breaking into an apartment a few floors down, I realized that he had cut the phone lines to the building. So, here I was, on the 19th floor of an apartment building, with an obsessed psycho stalking me, who had left me with no means of calling for help. 

At least, that's what I thought originally. Then I saw a computer, and a realization dawned on me. I hurried over to it, and crossed my fingers as I inspected the back of the PC. Much to my displeasure, it proved to have a modem connection. 

Then another thought occurred to me. While my cell phone may have gone bye-bye due to now severely suspicious reasons, that didn't mean that there might not be others cells located somewhere in this building. The trick was to find either a cell phone, or a computer with a cable or DSL connection, before he caught up with me. He had disabled the elevator after we had gotten off on his floor. He had also gloated about how no one would be around to hear me scream, since he had made a point of observing and recording his neighbors' comings and goings over a period of time. For their sakes, I prayed that he was right. The last thing that I wanted to have happen was for innocents to be caught in the crossfire. 

Before going back out, I decided to look around for items that I could use to defend myself with. I found some marbles in a music box, a lemon juice squirter bottle in the fridge, and a baseball bat. I contemplated grabbing a knife but fears of it being used against me and the baby, caused me to ditch that idea. As it was, I wasn't entirely sure that the baseball bat was a good idea. 

The first computer that I came across that had a DSL connection also had password protection. Cursing my infernal luck, I headed towards the front door, only to hear him noisily approaching. Quickly, I prepared to greet him, and greet him I did. With a full shot of lemon juice to his eyes and a baseball bat to the gut. 

I left him bent over on the floor as I headed for the stairwell. I went down as many floors as I could, before I heard him enter the stairwell several floors above. Damn, he was determined. As quietly as possible, I continued on till I reached the door to the next floor. I opened it, entered, but before shutting it, leaned down, and pulled out a couple of marbles from my pocket. Then I rolled them on the stairs. They made a racket when they hit the stairwell floors below. Then, I gently shut the door. 

It was after breaking into the third apartment on the floor, that I finally found a computer with a cable connection. One that didn't have password protection. Fortunately for me, most computers, these days, come equipped with AOL. So, I managed to sign on under "guest", and started composing my S.O.S. e-mail. Stopping briefly to put another chair in front of the front door. I had found mail sitting near the computer, bills waiting to be entered into Quicken, I assumed. So, I knew where to put my location as. Not that Barbara technically needed that to send help. No, she could have traced the computer's IP number, if necessary. 

That being done, I sat and waited. Armed with the juice squirter and the bat. 

If Dick saw the last sentence I just wrote, he might make a pun about it. He has such a different perspective on things, than Bruce. It's refreshing, in a way. He'll make a good big brother. 

In hindsight, I really don't know how I kept so calm, under the circumstances. Maternal instinct? Common sense? All I knew was that I had to try to keep a cool head for the baby's sake. I hummed an old lullaby as I rubbed my belly, in an attempt to keep focused and relatively calm. 

The ultimate indignity of it all, and what still gets to me, was that this man, my attacker... The psychopath who threatened the life of my precious baby, really wasn't all that threatening. At least, not in comparison to some of the rogues that I have taken on in the past. If I hadn't of been seven months pregnant, he would have been a relative cakewalk for me to handle. 

After a few minutes, I heard the man pounding on the front door of the apartment. Screaming and ranting his head off about making me pay. 

**************************************************************** 

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" A somewhat familiar female voice shouted in the hallway. 

"What in the hell are you doing back so early?!" the man asked dumbfounded. "I watched you, your comings and goings, for over two weeks!" 

"It's summer break," the woman answered hostilely. 

I could hear the muffled sounds of flesh hitting flesh, and bones cracking. The man yelped in pain. 

Cautiously, I opened the door a crack. Making sure to leave the door chain securely intact. What I saw was a painfully familiar, raven-haired woman laying waste to my would be killer. 

My thoughts at that point were like, "Naw, it couldn't be. Could it?" I mean, what are the odds? That she would happen to live in that apartment complex? I'd probably have a better chance at winning the state lotto. 

The woman growled, ranting off a bunch of obscenities as she gave the man a swift kick to the groin. Seeing me, and in particular, seeing my pregnant belly, her fury seemed to increase even more, if that was possible. "Attack a pregnant woman, will you?!" She continued angrily. She brought a knee quickly up to the bent over man's jaw, as her elbow connected to back of his head 

A few minutes later, the perp was trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. With a sticky note on his forehead, which read, "Care package for the Gotham City Police Department. Please, **dont **handle with care." 

"You okay?" She asked me. "Your baby?" 

"Fine, thanks," I answered back, giving her a weak half-smile in gratitude. 

"Well, I think we'd better have a doctor check you out, just in case." 

"You'll get no arguments from me." 

I'm not sure whether or not she recognized me then. But, after Dick burst in, from the stairwell, calling my name, she probably put two and two together. As it was, his reaction to seeing her, confirmed my suspicions regarding her identity. 

***************************************************************** 

So, okay, maybe not everything went wrong. Maybe I exaggerated a teensy bit. My baby and I are okay, more or less, and words can't express how grateful I am for that. It's just... is she going to be a target for every sicko out there? That's what I really can't stomach. And that's why I've been stalling with Bruce over his marriage proposal. 

Great, huh? I meet the man of my dreams. A man who is practically the polar opposite of my drunkard father. We fight, we flirt, we kiss, he attempts to arrest me, and we fall in love. Not necessarily in that order. It's like something out of a... Well, okay, not exactly like that. At least not for most people. At least, I hope not. But, to a girl like me, it was a dream come true. I had found my prince, and he's handsome, debonair, compassionate, rich, and heroic. Oh, he has his not-so-nice qualities, too. He can be demanding, arrogant, stubborn, brooding, and a major workaholic to boot. But, I love him. 

Hmmm.... Helena. I do so like that name. 

**Disclaimer:** _All Batman characters are the property of DC Comics. This little fan fiction is meant as pure, harmless fun, and as such, no profit is being made from it. _


End file.
